Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Stickney vs Chicago

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (1,197× in Chicago) and size (390× in Chicago).

×
Stickney, ILOne of the healthiest townsIllinois · 6,952 people
×
Chicago, ILA history townIllinois · 2,711,226 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Report cards

Chicago places higher on 10 of 19 IL lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Illinois ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $370 more a month in Chicago

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Stickney$1,790/mo
Typical home $245K (Census) · tax rate 2.48% · or rent about $1,154/mo · Housing →
Chicago$2,160/mo
Typical home $334K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.48% · or rent about $1,440/mo · Housing →

The difference: $370 a month, about $4,500 a year, between Chicago and Stickney.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Where they are

Stickney and Chicago share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

StickneyChicagoStickneyChicago
Stickney ↔ Chicago4.8 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
853 Stickney residents work in Chicago (28.8% of its workers)
Work & commute in Stickney →
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
StickneyChicago
Snow a year39″39″
January low20°F20°F
July high85°F85°F
Growing season (days)203d203d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)82nd47th
Outdoors & history
StickneyChicago
Conserved land6.2%8%
Settled19131837
National Register places—415
Archive photos—18
Famous people born here137
Community
StickneyChicago
Library hours a week60 hrs72 hrs
Colleges in town—41
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

StickneyChicago
People
Population 6,952Lowest 2,711,226Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +4.8%Highest +1.9%Lowest
Median age 37.8±2.6Highest 3% below IL 35.8±0.1Lowest 8% below IL
Stickney and Chicago are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 24.8%±5.7Highest IL: 21.8% 19.4%±0.2Lowest IL: 21.8%
Stickney and Chicago are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 16.6%±4.9Highest IL: 17% 13.8%±0.2Lowest IL: 17%
Stickney and Chicago are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 23.2%Lowest IL: 37.8% 44.3%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8.1%±3.1Highest IL: 6.3% 7.4%±0.2Lowest IL: 6.3%
Stickney and Chicago are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $66,942±$9kLowest 20% below IL $77,902±$907Highest 7% below IL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $244,900±$27kLowest 7% below IL $334,100±$2kHighest 27% above IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,154±$55Lowest 9% below IL $1,440±$10Highest 13% above IL
Property taxmedian, yearly $6,077Highest 15% above IL $4,943Lowest 7% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 40.4%±26Lowest IL: 47.9% 48.3%±0.8Highest IL: 47.9%
Chicago and Stickney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 12.3%Lowest IL: 11.8% 16.8%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 83.3%Highest IL: 67.1% 46%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1954Highest 17 yrs older than IL 1953Lowest 18 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minLowest 8% below IL 33 minHighest 19% above IL
Work from home 13.7%±5.2Lowest IL: 15.9% 21%±0.4Highest IL: 15.9%
Work in townworking residents 2.3%Lowest 64.2%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miHighest 7.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.84Lowest 1.22Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Chicago (29%)Evanston (1%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 29% work in ChicagoFew work in Stickney
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 6.2%Lowest 8%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.2 miLowest 239.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 1.0 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Lowest 520Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 51.3Lowest 114Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#275 of 384 in IL
School district —IDJJ Sch Dist 428 · Betty Shabazz Internl Chrtr Sch
High school in town —Lane Technical High School
Students per teacherat that high school — 16.6
Illinois average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Stickney neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Sunday in Stickney

1 neighbor in Stickney can answer.

Chicago neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Chicago’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Stickney and Chicago

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Stickney

Towns like Stickney

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Illinois towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Post to Stickney

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in